Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson

When Jessa catches her boyfriend, Sean, making out with Natalie "the boob job" Stone three days before her drama club's departure to Italy, she completely freaks. Stuck with a front-row view of Sean and Natalie making out against the backdrop of a country that oozes romance, Jessa promises to follow all of the outrageous instructions in her best friend's care package and open her heart to new experiences. Enter cute Italian boy stage left. Jessa had prepared to play the role of humiliated ex-girlfriend, but with Carissa directing her life from afar it's finally time to take a shot at being a star.

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I thought Culbertson’s first novel Songs for a Teenage Nomad was a great story so I was anxious to read another book by her. Instructions for a Broken Heart however did not impress me as much...it was sort of ho-hum. There are tons of books with plots that deal with relationships, break-ups, and dating but if it doesn’t have some sort of unique aspect or characters that make the book different from the rest, it will more than likely won’t be a big hit. That’s exactly what it was for me. Because it really wasn’t anything super special, I honestly didn’t enjoy it like I did Nomad. Although I know break-ups can be a hard thing to handle, I just couldn’t connect with Jessa and her longing to get back together with her cheating boyfriend. She was way too juvenile about the whole thing and I didn’t care for the third-person dialogue in this particular case. A few of the characters did stand-out: Tyler was a cool and Dylan Thomas was an interesting British boy. Alas, the entire book focused on Sean and how Jessa’s best friend was making her “get-over” him so there was not very much room for anything else to happen. The part of the so-called Italian crush (mentioned in the synopsis) was...weird. He only appeared a few times and he didn’t have much effect on Jessa or the story.

Really wish Instructions for a Broken Heart was better. Even so I still like Culbertson and I will definitely read another book by her in the future.

Recommendation: Overall, Instructions for a Broken Heart was an ok-book, the message/story just wasn’t significant enough for me to really enjoy it. If you want to read a book by Culbertson, try reading Songs for a Teenage Nomad if you think this one isn’t your style. Ages 14+

Content: Some language and sensuality. (PG)

More Books by This Author: Songs for a Teenage Nomad

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|Pages: 292|Release Date: May 2011|Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire|

|Genre: Contemporary, relationships, teen issues, travel|

|Content Rating: 4/5|Cover: 5/5|Overall: 3/5|

This review is copyrighted by Books and Literature for Teens. Special thanks to Derry and Sourcebooks.

The Ruby Notebook by Laura Resau

Sixteen-year-old Zeeta and her flighty English-teaching mom, Layla, have traveled the world together, settling in a different country every year, making a whole new set of friends and adopting new customs. This year, they’ve chosen to live in Aix-en-Provence, France, an enchanting city full of fountains, creamy yellow light, and a fascinating group of scarlet-clad street performers.
Zeeta soon begins to receive mysterious notes and gifts from someone she calls her fantôme, or ghost, admirer. But she is expecting her boyfriend, Wendell—the love of her life, as her friends call him—to arrive in Aix for a summer program very soon. Zeeta brushes off her curiosity about her fantôme, and her simmering attraction to one of the street performers, Jean-Claude, until Wendell arrives and she begins to fear that her feelings for him have truly changed. Perhaps—like Layla—she’s simply not made for long-term romance. As Zeeta tries to draw away from Wendell, however, circumstances seem to force them together. Zeeta’s friendship with a local antiques dealer and his reclusive artist friend leads to a dangerous adventure. When Zeeta and Wendell join forces to find a secret underground spring whose water is rumored to bring immortality, they are forced to reconsider their own desires, and their beliefs about true love. Yet as soon as Zeeta decides that her mind has cleared, she’s confronted with the biggest shock of her life: the incredible true identity of her fantôme.Vibrant, warmhearted, and evocative,The Ruby Notebook is a remarkable novel about learning to accept love in all of its wondrous and imperfect forms.

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Zeeta and her world-traveling mom are back with a whole new adventure. After saying goodbye to her friends in the tropical mountains of Ecuador and her new boyfriend, the trio head to the mystical city of Aix-en-Provence in France, famous for its ancient-old fountains that litter the cobble-stone streets. 

Once again Resua has created whimsical characters (both familiar and new), a thrilling plot with adventure and mystery, and a setting that is just as exciting. Teens who have fallen in love with The Indigo Notebook will be sure to get swept away once more in Zeeta’s narrative as she rekindles her romance with Wendell and sets out on yet another journey with a group of charmingly lovable characters. 

The best thing about this book is, in my personal opinion, the setting–France! Reading Resau’s books are like stepping over into a far-away land and experiencing every little detail of it through a carefully crafted story. I absolutely loved reading the first book and The Ruby Notebook is just as good, if not better. Overall, wonderfully written sequel. (*Complete with a glossary of French words!)

Recommendation: Teens 12+ will be sure to enjoy both novels–highly recommend! (Reading the The Indigo Notebook first is probably best, but its possible to get without it.)

Content: Some sensuality (PG)

Buy or Borrow? If you read The Indigo Notebook and enjoyed it I wouldn't pass up purchasing this one.

Cover Talk: I preferred The Indigo Notebook's cover, something similar would have been just fine–the picture seems like it's a little blurry.

➥Read My Post With Laura Resau & Exploring Ecuador

➥Enter my giveaway and win THE INDIGO NOTEBOOK!

|Pages: 365|Release Date: Sept. 2010|Publisher: Delacorte|

|Genre: Contemporary fiction, teen romance, friendship, mystery|

|Content Rating: 5/5|Cover Rating: 3/5|Overall: 5/5

Review copyrighted© by Books and Literature for Teens. Special thanks to Laura & Emily at Delacorte.